F.A.Q.

What is the attendance guidelines at Dogwood Hill School?

It is important that all of the students at Dogwood Hill are on time and in their classes by 9:00 AM. A child who arrives after the scheduled beginning of school is counted as late. All students who arrive late
report to the main office to receive a pass. No student will be admitted to his/her classroom without this pass. A child absent from school must present, upon his/her return, a written explanation signed by a parent or guardian stating the reason for the absence. When a child is absent from school, we ask that the parent or
guardian call the school nurse (337-5823).

In the case of an outside appointment during school hours, please provide a written request to the school office. When the parent arrives at the school, please come to the office, where your child will be paged.
You may then sign him/her out for the appointment.

In the case of an emergency, the parent or guardian must come to the office before the child can leave the school. A sign-out booklet is located in the main office.

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What is the school's practice regarding birthdays of the children?

Although class parties celebrating the birthday of a student are not approved, simple refreshments such as cookies or cupcakes may be sent in on a child's birthday. It is requested that all private invitations be distributed outside of school, unless every student in the class is to be invited.

Please check with the classroom teacher or school nurse regarding foodallergies prior to sending in snacks.

Is there a set procedure for visiting the school?

In order for us to ensure the safety of our children and teachers, we ask that all visitors and volunteers report to the main office upon their arrival and sign in. We ask that everyone who visits our school wear a visitor's badge. If an adult is in the building without the badge, they will be asked to report to the office to obtain one.

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What is the routine for arrival and dismissal of students?

Please remember that the safety of all of our students is the primary concern. It is important to follow the flow of traffic around all of the parked cars both in the morning and afternoon. When dropping students off in the morning, please pull down to the "Drop Off" sign. Please support us in making arrival and dismissal safe and fair for everyone.

We ask our prekindergarten and kindergarten staff to escort the children to the front porch. All other students should be dismissed through the main front doors, unless going home by way of McNomee Street. We ask that parents of children in Kindergarten, Grade One and Grade Two, please send in a note to the teacher if their child is to be dismissed via the McNomee exit.

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Is there an opportunity for parent conferences?

Twice a year, parent conferences are held. Parents are encouraged to beactive participants by attending these conferences. All parents are invited to the Spring and Fall conferences. Please note, additionally, that any parent may request a conference with their child's teacher at Dogwood Hill School and throughout the Oakland School District. Evening appointments will be prioritized for those students who have both parents working during the day. We appreciate the requests for evening conferences and trust parents will appreciate that those families with two working parents will receive priority for evening conferences. Beyond the progress reporting conferences, parents may call or e-mail their child's teacher to arrange for a conference.

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What is a Delayed School Opening?

A "Delayed Opening" procedure has been established to enable all schools to begin classes at 10:30 a.m. when weather conditions warrant it. If a Delayed Opening or an Emergency Closing is announced, the PTO will begin an emergency phone chain to notify parents. We would like to request that you not have your child arrive at school prior to 10:20 a.m. on such days since it is very likely that all staff members will not be present to provide for the proper supervision of pupils. Please note that the morning kindergarten students and morning preschool students will also arrive at 10:30. They will be dismissed at 1:05 and thus will not miss any school time. If you have a question as to whether there is school, you can call 405-ABCD.

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